Mint Mobile Review: Plans, prices, and customer satisfaction

Mint Mobile offers low prices, unlimited data plans, and solid customer service, so we’d definitely say it’s a good cell phone provider and even a good rural internet failover. In fact, we’d say Mint Mobile is one of the best mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) available on the market. But as with all MVNOs, there are a few drawbacks.

Mint Mobile uses the T-Mobile network, which is great because T-Mobile’s network has the largest coverage network in the nation right now. That said, Mint Mobile is essentially renting its network, so T-Mobile will deprioritize Mint Mobile subscribers’ data in congested locations so its own subscribers enjoy faster speeds.

Jump to: 

• Mint Mobile plans and prices
• Mint Mobile network
• Mint Mobile customer service
• Mint mobile vs. the competition
• Mint mobile as a home internet backup
• About MVNOs
• Final verdict on Mint Mobile
• Mint Mobile FAQ

Most people will be satisfied with any Mint plan, even just because of the low prices. The main differences between them, besides price, is how much data you get. We suggest the unlimited data plan, where you get unlimited talk, text, and data. More on that plan below.

If you just don’t need that much data, you can save an extra $15 a month by getting the 4 GB data plan. It’s great for the minimalist who needs data for the occasional google search, GPS navigation, or temporary home internet hotspot as a backup to their primary rural internet service.

All Mint Mobile plans also all come with unlimited text and talk, plus limited international calling; you can even call Canada and Mexico numbers for free.

Mint Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO for short. Essentially, it offers cell phone service (text, call, and data) by renting another's provider's already-built infrastructure, and the money they save by not building and up-keeping that tech means lower prices for you.

Mint Mobile doesn't offer home internet service, but you can certainly use your Mint Mobile data to connect to the internet on the go. You can even use it as an internet failover, or a backup plan to your home internet service. If you live in a rural area and need a reliable internet service to work from most of the time, we'd suggest either Hughesnet or Viasat. These satellite internet services are available to 99% of the US.

Mint Mobile’s greatest claim to fame, besides the obvious Ryan Reynolds, would be its unlimited data plan at only $30 a month.

Now, to be clear, almost no cell phone provider or MVNO provider offers truly unlimited data, and Mint Mobile is the same. After you’ve used 35 GB in the same month, Mint will slow your speeds down to 2G (the first digital connectivity speed type, which comes in around 0.1 Mbps). That’s still enough to do some slow browsing or email checking, but you certainly won’t be streaming TV.

All Mint Mobile plans offer both 5G and 4G LTE speeds, and yes, the unlimited plan is no exception. Which speed you’ll get will depend on which one is most available where you are and which one is currently the fastest. 5G may be faster than 4G LTE almost always, but if a lot of people are using that connection, 4G LTE will still likely be faster and serve you better.

A while back, Mint Mobile didn’t allow you to use Netflix with its unlimited data plan, probably because streaming services can be data hogs. However, Mint Mobile has taken away that restriction, so you can now watch Stranger Things on the go. But your resolution will still be capped at 480p, and keep in mind that your unlimited data, like we said, isn’t truly unlimited.

It’s still best to stream your TV shows with a Wi-Fi connection whenever you can.

Mint Mobile’s family plans don’t work with the same buy-more-for-less model that other MVNOs use. Instead, Mint will simply combine all the individual plans you want to purchase under one bill.

That will give you the convenience you want, but you’ll miss out on savings you might find with other wireless providers.

Mint Mobile offers 4G LTE speeds, which can reach up to 100 Mbps, and 5G speeds, which can reach up to 1,000Mbps or 1 GB, though those top speeds are less likely. What your exact Mint Mobile speed will be depends on your area.

Because it's an MVNO renting T-Mobile network, Mint Mobile's speeds can also be affected by T-Mobile customer network congestion. If you're in an area with a lot of T-Mobile customers, they will be prioritized above you, so your speeds will be slowed.

Outside of that, Mint Mobile customers seem quite happy with their usual speeds, so we're going to bet Mint Mobile will be fast enough for your tastes.

Mint Mobile uses the T-Mobile network, the leader in 5G and the network with the most coverage in the nation. If you’re looking for solid coverage and fast speeds, Mint Mobile has about the best network of any MVNO.

That said, MVNOs have restrictions compared to their network owner. For more on how MVNOs work generally, check out our MVNO section below.

There also may be cases where, despite all its accolades, T-Mobile’s network isn’t the best one for you. Having the best coverage doesn’t mean it covers everything, so depending on where you live, another network might cover your area more completely. We recommend checking cell provider coverage maps before committing to any MVNO or major provider.

In our research, we found most people rarely ever need to contact Mint Mobile’s customer service. That’s definitely a great sign.

For anyone who does run into issues, they tend to be about porting over their number from their old network. Most commonly, people report being out of service for about 24–48 hours when something does go awry with this process, and then no issues thereafter.
That said, there have also been a few complaints about Mint Mobile’s site accessibility. So if you’re visually impaired, you’ll want to be extra careful you’re ordering an e-sim card, not a physical one, when starting service.

This gets tricky because the site has screen-reader issues, and if you get the wrong one (physical instead of an e-sim), you’ll be at best be stranded for a couple days until your Mint sim card arrives, or at worst until you can convince a stranger to insert your sim card for you.

This issue comes about because, as customer service forums report, Mint Mobile reps can’t undo a physical Mint Mobile sim card purchase once it’s gone through. This seems to be because the physical sim cards are actually linked to T-Mobile, and therefore are out of Mint Mobile’s direct control.

Visible Wireless, Cricket Wireless, Xfinity Mobile, Boost Mobile, Ultra Mobile, and Google Fi are Mint Mobile’s main competitors. You’ll notice they’re all MVNOs just like Mint Mobile, so they come with the same pros and cons: lower prices than the big network providers, and deprioritized data to match (which equals slower data speeds compared to the big chalupas).

That all said, Mint Mobile is definitely top of the list compared to other MVNOs. Mint Mobile’s faster and more available than many, since it uses T-Mobile’s network, which offers superior 5G speeds and wide national coverage.

We’d say the next-best choice would be Visible Wireless, which uses Verizon’s second-best network in the nation. But Visible has slightly more expensive plans, and it is actually owned by Verizon. That’s not necessarily good nor bad, but it’s something to keep in mind since Verizon doesn’t have as much motivation to compete with itself.

Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds owns 25%¹ of Mint Mobile, which isn’t really a business pro or con, but does mean you’ll get random voice mails from Ryan Reynolds each month being generally funny in your inbox.

Don’t make a purchase based on that—but we’ve got to admit, it’s a fun little perk.

Cellular data is sometimes the best internet failover you can get. It can even be a primary internet option if you live in rural areas with spotty DSL or if you haven’t buckled down to get a satellite internet provider yet.

The Mint Mobile unlimited data plan could definitely work as an internet failover or a backup for when your internet (satellite, DSL, or otherwise) goes out. But we wouldn’t recommend it as a full replacement for home internet—there are just better options, like fixed wireless home internet that uses cellular networks to provide significantly faster and more reliable internet.

An MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator, is a cellphone provider that pays larger companies like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon for use of their cellular networks. Cellular networks cost a lot of money to maintain, so by renting use of them instead of maintaining them, MVNOs can pass on the savings to customers.

That results in lower prices for Mint Mobile subscribers, Visible customers, and Cricket Wireless users, but it also means you aren’t prioritized on the networks that these MVNOs use. So your data speed might slow down compared to a direct T-Mobile customer if you have Mint Mobile.

This is called data deprioritization, and you won’t run into this issue all the time. You should only get these slower speeds when there’s network congestion in your area.

Basically, if a bunch of Mint Mobile and T-Mobile users are in the same area, all using their data at the same time at, say, a concert venue, then Mint subscribers will have their speeds slowed so T-Mobile subscribers can keep their same speeds.

This might seem unfair, but T-Mobile subscribers are also paying more than double per month for the perk, so you’ll just have to decide what you prefer.

Mint Mobile allows you to bring your own device to its service—it just has to be compatible, and you’ll want to make sure it’s an unlocked phone as well.

If you don’t see your phone here, go to the Mint Mobile website and check its phone compatibility tool to see if your phone will work with your desired Mint Mobile cell phone plan.

Mint Mobile was a subsidiary of Ultra Mobile founded by David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim. They're part owners of Mint Mobile, along with Ryan Reynolds. The exact percentage amounts that each person owns Mint Mobile is unknown.

On March 15, T-Mobile and Ryan Reynolds announced that T-Mobile will be purchasing Mint Mobile for around $1.35 billion. T-Mobile will also be purchasing Ultra Mobile, and Mint Mobile's founders will be coming on to T-Mobile to continue running Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile customers are watching this for signs of price jumps, but for now, all we know is that T-Mobile will officially be Mint Mobile's owner.

Ryan Reynolds owned between 20% and 25%¹  of Mint Mobile, but as of March 15, he and other owners are selling the company to T-Mobile, the network Mint Mobile ran on anyway.

Originally, Ryan Reynolds originally bought his portion of Mint Mobile back in 2019 and continued to be a major part of its advertisement campaigns throughout. Will Ryan disappear from them now that T-Mobile will be taking over? It's hard to say, but T-Mobile's official announcement video did have the star in it.

Mint Mobile has always used T-Mobile’s network infrastructure to offer cell service to its subscribers, and as of March 15, 2023, T-Mobile will indeed own Mint Mobile as well. The deal cost T-Mobile approximately $1.5 billion, and though the original founders of Mint Mobile won't be part owners anymore, they will be in charge of running Mint Mobile under T-Mobile's umbrella.

Mint isn’t owned by AT&T, and it doesn't use its network either. In fact, Mint Mobile was originally formed out of  Ultra Mobile, another MVNO founded by David Glickman.

Mint Mobile is an excellent choice if you live in T-Mobile’s coverage area, like low prices (who doesn’t, right?), and want unlimited data but don’t mind occasional slower speeds.

If you want a family plan, we recommend going to Visible Wireless or elsewhere, just because Mint Mobile’s family plans aren’t as good a value. Mint Mobile is better for single cellphone plans and those looking for some unlimited data as an internet backup.

T-Mobile is the network behind Mint Mobile’s service.

If your Mint Mobile speeds are slow, it’s most likely because either 1. you’ve exceeded your high-speed data for the month or 2. your speeds have been deprioritized because there’s network congestion, and T-Mobile (the network Mint Mobile uses) prioritizes its own customers.

The only real equipment you need to get Mint Mobile service is a phone that's compatible with Mint Mobile, your Mint Mobile sim card or e-sim card, and that's really it. Mint Mobile also sells phones, so you can buy one directly with the company if you're looking for simplicity. When you sign up for Mint Mobile, it will also send you your needed sim card. Either way, Mint Mobile will give you everything you need. 

Mint Mobile has data caps ranging from 4GB to 15GB, and yes, it has an unlimited plan (and for only $30 a month). Fortunately, Mint Mobile's data caps aren't hard data caps, so if you exceed your cap, you'll stay connected, just at much slower speeds. 

Mint Mobile offers 4G LTE and 5G speeds, which are fast enough to support some streaming TV and video conferencing. It's unlikely to support online gaming, unless you're playing minimal-graphics mobile games. Speed shouldn't be your greatest concern, though, because all these activities can seriously chew through your Mint Mobile data cap. If you're not on the unlimited plan, we'd suggest restricting these activities most of the time.

Mint Mobile doesn’t sell your personal information to creepy third-party entities, but its privacy policy does reveal that it may pass on your relevant data (including personal details like your address) for marketing and business purposes to its partnered service providers, like T-Mobile.

Our SatelliteInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on research, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. We dig deep to get hard-to-find information on internet plans, fees, and upcoming brand developments.

We make this information easy for you to find in one place via our in-depth reviews, and we use our satellite internet industry expertise to analyze the options to help you make the most informed decision for your household.

To learn more about our process, check out our Methodology page.